The Beast Within
by kellyQ
Summary: UPDATED with chapter seven! The rewrite of "Beauty and the Beast" that has changes to it .. hope it's better.
1. Chapter 1

The Beast Within

Chapter One

By KellyQ

Rudger stepped back from what he was doing when the door opened to see his friend and boss, Hakase Fudo. He was a fine looking man with black soft raven hair that gave the characteristic of pinchers of a crab that spiked out on either side of his head. His long bangs parted to the side, covering his left eye. Rudger was a young well-built man with blonde hair and blue eyes. Rudger raised a brow when he noticed that Hakase had several knife wounds across his face a sling holding his left arm in place.

"What happened?" Rudger asked, watching him walk to his desk.

"Our house was ransacked last night by some some guards," Hakase explained, sitting down. "They said some of my research didn't make any sense, and they threatened me."

Sudden anger and concern welled up in Rudger. "Why didn't you call me?"

"And have you risk your life? No! The last thing I want is to see you get dragged off or killed just because of me."

Rudger let out a frustrated sigh. He felt powerless not being able to help. "Where are you staying at now?"

"Don't worry about it. I'll figure it out," Hakase answered, avoiding the question altogether.

* * *

A young woman walked down the street. She had long brown hair pulled back in a bun. Fair tan skin and cobalt blue eyes. This woman went by the name of Hana Fudo. In her arms was her 2-year-old son, Yusei Fudo. The child was spitting image of his parents. Dark raven hair spiked out on either side of his head, and his bangs were short.

"Mama, where's daddy?" he asked.

Before Hana could answer, familiar voices called out to them. Yusei twisted his body to the side to see his three friends running up. Hana placed her son down as he ran up to them. Hana smiled and glanced at them. The blonde haired boy was Jack. The red haired child was Crow, and the other was Kiryu.

"Why don't you guys go play?"

"Do you want to play with us?" Crow asked.

Hana smiled. "You're sweet, but I have some things I need to take care of."

"Mama, where's daddy?" Yusei asked again. He didn't feel safe, and what happened after last night, he was still shaken up.

**_Heavy footsteps echoed outside their home and there was a harsh knock. Hana walked toward the door but Hakase stopped her and shook his head. _**

**_"Open up!" Shouted a guard. "Immediately!"_**

**_Hakase_****_ stepped to the door and opened it to see several guards standing there._**

**_"We need to examine your papers," one of the guard demanded._**

**_"What papers? What is this about?" Hakase asked defensively._**

**_"Don't give us any trouble or this will end badly for you. Step aside, now!"_**

**_"But..." Hakase protested._**

**_With that, another of the guards pushed Hakase to the ground, at which point Hana screamed, "Stop it! Get out of our house!"_**

**_The guards paid no attention. They walked straight in toward Hakase's desk and pulled it over on its side, its drawers spilling their contents all over the floor._**

**_Just then, Yusei came around the corner of the hallway from his bedroom. "Mama, what's happening? Why are those men doing that to daddy's desk?"_**

**_But_****_ the guards were already ripping up any paperwork they could find, bits of it floating around the room like a tornado had just hit._**

**_"Yusei, come here," Hana implored. "Come to me!"_**

**_Yusei_****_ ran across the living room to his mother, as his father was getting to his feet._**

**_"What do you want with us?" Hakase shouted. "Just take what you want and leave!"_**

**_Again, the guards did not respond. Apparently, they had found what they were looking for because as quickly as they came, they were headed out the door in a flash._**

**_"Don't you ever come back here," Hakase demanded._**

**_"What did you say?" One of the guards was approaching the father slowly._**

**_"I said don't come back."_**

**_In a flurry, the guard drew a hidden knife from under his uniform coat and made several fast slashes at Hakase's face._**

**_"I won't ever listen to a word you say," the guard said calmly. Hakase was on the ground, holding his face in his hands, blood coming out between his fingers. "And here's how you're going to remember that!" The guard pulled his foot high in the air and brought it down on Hakase's torso, but his arm was in the way. In excruciating pain, Hakase rolled over on his stomach and moaned._**

**_"And don't make me come back and do that to your wife and kid, you hear me?" the guard said, bending close to Hakase's ear. The soldier stood up straight, brushing his hands on the front of his coat, and walked out the front door._**

Hana continued to walk down the street, trying to shake the feeling that never left her, wondering what was going to happen to her and her family.

To be continued...


	2. Chapter 2

The Beast Within

Chapter Two

By KellyQ

A couple of guards led by Yliaster made their way to Rudger's house. Yliaster wore a white suit and his hat cast a shadow over his face so no one could see his eyes. For the past two days, he had been harassing Rudger to get Hakase fired from his position. Hana had already been fired from her job as a teacher a while ago, making it harder for the Fudo family to buy things to survive, like food and clothes.

Yliaster stepped up and knocked on the door. A moment later it opened and Rudger's brother, Rex Godwin stood there.

"Where's your brother?" one of the guards spat.

"I'm not sure," Rex answered calmly. "Do you want me to deliver a message to him?"

One of the guards sneered before Yliaster spoke in a sickly nice tone. "Have Rudger meet us tomorrow with Mr. Fudo at the research lab."

"I will," Rex promised, stepping back. "Now if you'll excuse me," he went on, taking hold of the door, "I need to get back to my studies."

The two guards narrowed their eyes as the door closed on their faces.

Once Rex closed the door, he narrowed his eyes. _My brother is going to get us all thrown into prison if he keeps this up! _He wanted to question Rudger's choices, but Rex didn't want to see anyone of his friends or family get hurt either. _Rudger__, I just hope you're doing the right thing._

* * *

Rudger stared at Hakase, wondering if he heard right what his friend and crush was going to do. The two were in a cellar that was covered with spider webs and mold. "You're going to do what?"

Hakase held his ground, even though he knew Rudger could do anything he wanted. "Hana is trying to get us to a safe place. Away from here," Hakase explained again. "And I need your help."

Rudger sighed with a disapproving look in his eyes. Hakase studied his friend for a moment.

"I don't want to do this either," he said, concluding that Rudger wasn't pleased about his choice. "But in order to keep us safe, we're going to have to leave."

Rudger glanced away. "Fine. I'll help you escape when you're ready."

Hakase placed a hand on his friend's shoulder and gave it a light squeeze. The soft gesture got Rudger to glance at his crush. "When this is over, we'll continue our research, okay?"

All Rudger did was nod his head sorrowfully. When there was nothing more to say, the two made their way out.

* * *

Hana turned when her husband walked in to see a depressed look on his face. Concern flashed across her features as she watched him sit at the table. Hana made her way over, knelt in front of him and hugged her husband. Hakase wrapped his arms around her and buried his face on her shoulder, taking in her scent of lilac and herbs.

"Everything's going to be okay," Hana reassured in a loving tone, trying to soothe Hakase's pain about the choice he made.

She knew how highly Hakase felt for the Godwin brothers, and she was going to support her husband all the way.

To Be Continued ..


	3. Chapter 3

The Beast Within

Chapter three

By KellyQ

Rudger felt tension in the air as he walked into the laboratory to see Yliaster and Hakase sitting at an oval shaped table. The first thing the blonde-haired man noticed were several guards standing behind Hakase, and a peach colored folder was right in front of him.

"So, what's this meeting all about?" Rudger asked. He walked up and sat down, trying to keep calm.

"Rudger, I'm going to appoint you as the boss of the quantum physics research department," Hakase said, pushing the file over, and a pen rolled as it hit Rudger's fingertips. Inside is the stuff youll need to continue. You'll just need to sign it, and you'll be the boss starting tomorrow.

Rudger nodded his head, knowing that the guards were watching him as well. He opened the file to see that Hakase wasn't lying about him being the boss. Rudger wanted so much to turn and yell at Yliaster for threatening Hakase. Nevertheless, he didn't. This is great, but what is this _really_ all about? Rudger asked calmly. "Why don't you want to be the boss anymore, Hakase?"

"I've decided that things need to be restructured," Yliaster explained. "A fair amount of money has been wasted, and with new management and a new team, there'll be enough money to pay for everything."

"Starting tomorrow, you'll be running the lab," Hakase informed Rudger.

"Any questions?" Yliaster asked Rudger. The blonde-haired man shook his head, trying to keep his temper at bay. A sly smile made its way to Yliaster's lips as he watched Rudger sign the documents. Good. "I'll see you here tomorrow morning around 8:00."

Yiliaster rose to his feet and walked out with the guards following close behind. The door closed behind them, leaving the two friends alone. Hakase got up as well and took a step, but Rudger grabbed his forearm and pushed him back down into the chair.

"Now, you're going to tell me what happened!" Rudger threatened in a low dangerous tone. He moved so he was leaning over his friend.

Despite the hostile vibes and the look in Rudger's eyes, Hakase still held his ground. He was going to wait until the blonde-haired man calmed down. After a moment of silence, Rudger backed away, giving Hakase space.

"I know that you're upset, but you've got to trust me on this," Hakase explained in a calm and yet firm voice. "I'm not doing this just for our sake; I'm doing this for your sake, too."

Rudger narrowed his eyes and continued to stare at Hakase, waiting for him to spill what happened.

The young professor sighed out of frustration, and then he closed his eyes. "What? What do you want me to say? Yliaster threatened me, obviously." Hakase shared. "There, I said it. Are you happy now?"

**_He pushed the double doors, and the first thing he saw were a couple of guards. They grabbed Hakase and held him in place. _**

**_"I'm glad you made it," came Yliaster's voice. _**

**_Hakase_****_ looked straight ahead to see him sitting at the table. Yiliaster rose to his feet and calmly walked up until he was standing right in front of Hakase. Yliaster held up a piece of paper that the guards snatched the other day. Hakase narrowed his eyes knowing that it was evidence to shut down their project. _**

**_"What were you planning to do with this?" Yilaster asked calmly. _**

**_"It was to help shut down our project just in case we ended with something wrong," Hakase answered calmly. _**

**_"Who's been helping you?" Yilaster asked slyly. _**

**_Defensive vibes could be felt through the room. Yilaster reached for Hakase's coat pocket and pulled out his wallet. The young professor watched Yliaster's every move as he pulled out two black and white pictures. One was Hakase family and the other was Rudger. _**

**_"I see," Yliaster concluded, running his thumb along the pictures. A smirk made its way to his lips. "Your wife ... how old is she?" _**

**_"29." _**

**_"Your son?"_**

**_"He'll be turning 3 next month. Why? They've done nothing to you," Hakase pointed out calmly. He wasn't going to let Yliaster threaten his family. _**

**_"What about Rudger? What's your relation with him?" Yliaster inquired, enjoying watching Hakase squirm._**

**_The two guards glanced at their leader, waiting for some orders to be cared out when Hakase didn't answer. Yliaster gestured for the two to start their interrogation. _**

"And I wasn't going to let him hurt you or my family," Hakase explained, coming out of his memory. "Besides, its much better that we stop seeing each other until the war is over."

By some impulse, Rudger grabbed Hakase and hoisted him on the table. The folder was pushed to the floor, and the papers spilled out. A surprising grunt came from the back of Hakase's throat when he was pushed down and Rudger leaned over him.

Automatic defense snapped in Hakase. He started to struggle and called out for Rudger to stop. The blonde-haired man slapped Hakase when the clock tower struck. The frequency snapped Rudger out of his fury, bring him back to reality. Blue eyes widened and Rudger slowly started to realize what had just happened. He pulled back immediately with shock and fear.

It took a moment for them to catch their breath. Rudger was the first to regain his bearings. Hakase stared at him for a moment with shock.

"Hakase ... I ..."

The young professor held up his hand and shifted so he could sit up and leave. He had hoped that their last meeting wouldn't turn out like this.

To Be Continued...


	4. Chapter 4

The Beast Within

Chapter four

By KellyQ

Yusei, Crow, Jack and Kiryu were sitting at the table, waiting for their food that Hana was making. She turned and placed a large plate of crackers, cheese and a small plate of cut up egg sandwich for Yusei. He placed his off-white stuffed dragon on the table, ready to eat. Jack eyed Yusei's stuffed toy. He reached out and snatched it. Jack turned, slid off the chair and took off running.

"Hey!" Yusei cried.

He shifted in his chair and jumped off, running after Jack. The blonde-haired boy laughed, not even realizing that Yusei was on the verge of tears.

"I want Stardust Dragon back!" Yusei wailed.

"Jack ... be nice," Hana scolded lightly, watching the two.

The blonde haired child stopped. He turned to see Yusei standing there, tears sliding down his flushed cheeks. Jack sighed. He didn't mean to make the smaller boy cry. He walked up and pretended that Stardust Dragon was kissing Yusei on the cheek.

Hana smiled at the cute sight, but it faded when the door opened. She tore out of the kitchen and stopped at the front door to see Hakase walk in. The first thing Hana did was hold him close.

"What happened?" She murmured.

Right away, Hana noticed the handprint on Hakase's face and his body still trembling. By this point, all the kids were staring at the two. Yusei glanced at his father to see many emotions in his eyes.

"Daddy?"

His voice got his parents to eye him for a moment. Hakase pulled away, walked over, picked Yusei up, and held him close.

"Did I do something wrong?" Yusei asked timidly.

When he didn't an answer right away, he kissed his father's cheek. The others glanced at each other, wondering what came over Yusei to act as if he just was spanked.

* * *

Right after Hakase left, Rudger couldn't get the image of the way Hakase gazed at him (before he left), out of his mind. Rudger let out a cry of frustration as he dropped to his hands and knees. He slammed his fist onto the wooden floor, hard enough that his whole fist went through. Rudger's body shook as he pulled his now bleeding fist out. Blood stained the floor as he got up and stared at his bloody hand.

The hand that had slapped Hakase.

Rudger sighed and pulled out a handkerchief. He wiped the blood off, ignoring the splinters that went deeper into his skin when he wrapped his hand up. Rudger turned and went to pick up the papers.

After he got them, he went out and drove home. When he got there, his worried brother greeted him. The bloody hand didn't go unnoticed by Rex. He grabbed his brother by the forearm and dragged him into the kitchen. Rex pushed him on the chair and went to get the First aid kit.

When he came back, Rudger had already removed the handkerchief and leaned over the sink to wash the blood off. Rex opened the box and found the tweezers. He took it just as Rudger turned, stepped up and sat down. Fresh blood started to come out of his knuckles again. Rex moved the file over to the side as he took his brother's hand and started to pluck the splinters out. More blood stained his hand and thin lines trailed down his fingers dripping on the floor and table.

"Mind telling me what happened, big brother?" Rex asked, not making eye contact with him.

He knew that it was going to take awhile before Rudger was going to share what happened.

* * *

Hana was in the same situation. After she shooed the kids out so she could talk to Hakase alone, she grabbed a dry clean towel. She turned the tap on and got the towel all wet. Hana rang it out, turned and sat in front of her husband. She placed the cold towel on his cheek.

After a moment, Hakase sighed. "I'm not sure what happened," he said, referring to what Rudger did and the inhuman look in his eyes when they stared at each other.

Hakase had never seen _that_ look in Rudger's eyes before, and it scared him.

Hana nodded her head, concluding that Rudger wasn't pleased. She placed the towel on the table and pulled Hakase close. She rubbed the back of his head, feeling a pang for him.

* * *

Once Rex was done taking out all the splinters and Rudger's hand washed several times, he started to wrap gauze around it.

"What's going to happen how?" Rex asked. He knew asking the question again, would cause his older brother to get angry.

"I'm the boss of the quantum physics research department starting tomorrow," Rudger answered.

That grabbed Rexs attention right away. He glanced at the file, putting two and two together. Rudger must have been angry about Hakases choice.

Rex sighed. He knew that his brother was going through a difficult time, mentally and emotionally. _I just hope you dont do something that youll regret, _Rex thought, watching his brother get up and walk to his room. He knew how sensitive Rudger was, and the last thing Rex wanted to see was his brother becoming a beast.

To Be Continued


	5. Chapter 5

The Beast Within

Chapter 5

By KellyQ

Rudger fell into a restless sleep shortly after Rex pulled the splinters out of his hand. A week after Hakase fired himself, Rudger's nightmares started to grow and his longing to see his Jewish friend was clouding his judgment entirely. He rose to his feet, ready to leave the office. Rudger stared down at his (now) scarred hand.

**_Rudger_****_ grabbed Hakase and hoisted him onto the table. The folder was pushed to the floor, and the papers spilled out. A surprising grunt came from the back of Hakase's throat when he was pushed down and Rudger leaned over him. _**

**_An automatic defense snapped somewhere deep in Hakase when Rudger tried to hold him down. He started to struggle and call out for Rudger to stop. The blonde haired man slapped Hakase just as the clock tower struck the hour. The frequency snapped Rudger out of his fury, bring him back to reality. Blue eyes widened and Rudger slowly started to realize what had just happened. He recoiled immediately with shock and fear. _**

**_It took a moment for them to catch their breaths. Rudger was the first to regain his bearings. Hakase stared at him for a moment in awe. _**

**_Rudger_****_ couldn't believe that he had just attacked his friend. That wasn't something he wanted to do. "Hakase ... I ..." _**

**_The young professor held up his hand and shifted so he could sit up to leave. Rudger watched Hakase walk out._**

Rudger looked up to see that he had walked out of his office, and onto the street. He looked around and realized that he was near Hakase's house. He blinked several times when he saw a green military truck drive by, and parked not far from Hakase's house.

Without thinking, Rudger dashed forward and stopped just when three guards stepped out of the truck.

"What's going on?" Rudger asked.

The other two had made their way up the stairs, and knocked on the door. One moment later, the door opened and Hakase stood there. Rudger eyed him for a second before he averted his gaze back to the guards. He didn't want to see the disbelief that would soon glaze over Hakase's eyes.

_"Dad," _came Yusei's voice. He walked up behind his dad and stopped. He could feel tension in the air, and he didn't like the look in his father's eyes - it scared him. Yusei stepped back, turned and walked back into the living room.

"What's happening here? What's this all about?" Hakase asked calmly.

Rudger marched up the stairs and turned to face the three guards. "Where are they going?" he asked again. He wasn't going to let them dance around the question.

"It shouldn't concern you, _Professor Godwin_," one of the guards said. "And where's your wife, Mr. Fudo?" He asked, facing Hakase.

"She'll be back in a few hours," Hakase answered calmly.

"Nevermind her, then. You need to be ready in a few moments," the main guard said, stepping up. "We're not going to wait for your wife."

Hakase just stood there, not fazed. "I'm not going anywhere without her."

"Oh, yes you are!" the lead guard yelled.

_"Dad?"_ Yusei called out from the living room behind them once more. "Where's my Stardust Dragon?_"_

"Yusei," Hakase said sternly, "you need to go back into your room, okay, son?"

"Ah, you have a little one, too, huh?" the guard grunted. He pushed passed Hakase and walked in. "Perfect! We'll take him, too, then!"

Rudger couldn't take it any longer. Just as the guard entered the house to demand the Fudos cooperation, he stepped in and took hold of the guard by the arm. "I can't let you do this," Rudger said.

"Excuse me?" the guard responded, turning to face Rudger.

"Just get out," he said, pulling the guard back toward the door.

Anger flashed across the guards eyes as he yanked his arm free. It was then that Yusei walked in, looking a little frantic.

"Daddy, I still can't find Stardust!"

In one swift motion, the guard pulled out his gun. A loud shot echoed through the house, as Hakase moved in front of Yusei shielding him from the bullet. Rudger's eyes widened in complete horror; he turned to face the guard with raging eyes. Before anyone knew what happened, Rudger struck the guard a few times across the face with his hardened fists.

The guard landed on the floor with a thud. He wiped the blood off the corner of his mouth. "How dare you!"

Rudger didn't say anything as he kicked the guard a few times. The other two guards could tell that something inside Rudger snapped, and it was not going to be easy to pull him off their beaten comrade.

"Daddy!" Yusei called out frantically, snapping out of his shock, seeing that his father was shot in the shoulder.

Hakase moaned a little, feeling pain through his body. He glanced up to see that Rudger had hoisted the guard up and slammed him against the wall. Rudger pulled out his gun ready to shoot. Hakase's eyes widened with horror.

"Rudger, No!" Hakase cried. He got to his feet and went over to his friend, trying to pry the gun out of Rudger's hand.

Despite the blood coming down Hakase's shirt, and the pain he felt, he had to snap Rudger out of whatever was controlling him.

The blond-haired man easily pushed Hakase back, but he grabbed onto Rudger's arm, trying to pull him away from the beaten man on the floor.

"Rudger, snap out of it!" Hakase shouted, trying to keep him from using the weapon.

He ducked underneath Rudger's arm so that he was right in front of him, and slapped him. The gun in Rudger's hand dropped to the ground with a dull clang. The inhuman look in Rudger's blue eyes changed to shock, and he slowly started to realize what he was about to do.

"Mommy!" Yusei cried. He saw her come running up the street. He ran up to Hana, sobbing out of fear.

"What's going on?" she asked, not sounding thrilled.

Hana glanced at the scene and her eyes widened when she saw that Hakase's shoulder was bleeding, and that he was ready to pass out.

Rudger stared down at Hakase to see that he was having a hard time keeping consciousness. The stare down didn't last long before Hakase's eyes rolled to the back of his head and he collapsed against Rudger's strong solid chest, before everything went dark.

To Be Continued ...


	6. Chapter 6

The Beast Within

Chapter 6

Kellyq

"What are you doing in my home?" Hana asked the three guardsmen standing in the front of her living room. She hadn't even put down the groceries she was carrying. There were still two big bags in her arms. "What do you want from us?" she looked down at her husband.

Hakase was passed out in Rudger's arms. A shallow pool of blood ran down his shoulder and back, his eyes closed. He looked like he was in a long, deep sleep. Rudger stooped to the ground, making sure he was still breathing.

Hana couldn't believe her eyes. "Rudger? Who are these men?"

Yusei stood there, flushed and scared. He could tell that his mother was scared and it pained him. He tugged her sleeve. "Mommy, I'm scared!"

By this point, the leader of the two men slowly opened his eyes, feeling the effect of being kicked and slammed against the wall. The two guards glanced at each other, knowing what they had to do. The first one went directly toward Hana, intent on seizing her.

Yusei snapped into action and tried to keep the guardsmen away from her. He was easily kicked out of the way by the guardsman. Hana went directly to her son, but she was pulled back, dropping the bags in the process. There was a loud crash as everything happened so suddenly. The bottle of milk in the bag broke on the floor just as the guard wrapped his large arms around Hana. He picked her up off the ground easily. By now, Yusei was resigned on the floor next to his dad and Rudger.

Hana glanced at her family one last time numb with terror, before she was carried out of the house, down the front walk, and shoved into the back of the army truck.

The second guard helped his beaten comrade up off the floor. "Let's get out of here," he said. "And as for you," he said, pointing at Rudger, "we're going to be watching you! Do you understand me? We'll see everything you do and everyone you try to help, so don't do anything stupid, or you'll be the next. Got it?"

He didn't wait for Rudger to answer. Without a moment's hesitation, he helped his fellow soldier out of the house and into the truck where the other soldier and Hana were already set to leave. Yusei slowly stepped out of the house and watched the green truck take his mother away, not knowing that he was never going to see her again.

"Yusei!" came Jack's voice.

He turned to see Crow, Kiryu and Jack running up. The first thing Yusei noticed was his stuffed Stardust Dragon in one arm, and Red Dragon Archfiend in the other. Kiryu was the first to realize something bad had happened. He ran into the house with the others close behind, and saw that Rudger had moved Hakase to the couch. Hakase's shirt was removed. Rudger washed the blood off his chest and putting gauze around his shoulder.

A painful moan came from the back of Hakase's throat as he slowly opened his eyes. He looked around to see that the guards were gone.

"Daddy!" Yusei cried, throwing himself in his father's arms, sobbing. Hakase looked up at Rudger with betrayal and hurt in his eyes. The two stared at each other, and that's when Hakase sensed that something bad happened. "They took mommy away!" The young professor lowered his gaze and closed his eyes, having no energy to fight, or ask questions.

Rudger blinked when he realized that Hakase was going to pass out.

"I'm taking you to the hospital!" Rudger declared, scooping him in his arms. Hakase wanted to protest, and have Rudger help him get Hanna back, but he passed out before he could.

* * *

Hanna glanced around the weapons factory. The compound was heavily guarded, and most of the workers looked like they were ready to drop from exhaustion.

"Get a move on!" the guard demanded, shoving her. "You're going to help the other woman keep things clean!"

Hana nodded her head as the Guard escorted her. The smell of oil, carbon monoxide and rust started to make Hanna nauseated as she was led to an office. The guard unlocked the door and opened it. The room was only three-hundred square feet with only one large metal file cabinet filled with paperwork off to the right. The wall straight ahead had maps with scribes. The two walked in as Hana sat down on a hard wooden chair in front of the desk that was made out of marble.

The guard made his way to the cabinet, and pulled the drawer out. He plucked out a yellow piece of paper. He pushed the drawer in, and walked back to his desk. Hanna watched his every move. The guard sat down and rotated the yellow paper for Hana to see. The paper was to be filled out with her name, who she's married to and if she had any kids. Hanna bit her lip, wondering if she should jot down any name or be honest.

"You have three minutes to fill that out," the guard ordered. "And then I'm going to have you fill out another sheet, have your picture taken so we have you in or system."

Hanna nodded her head, took a pen that was next her and started to write.

* * *

After Rudger made sure that Hakase got some care, he told the kids to stay, provided that they were looked after. Rudger walked down the hallway to Yiliaster's office. He was going to have a serious chat with the man himself. Rudger stopped in front of the door and knocked harshly.

_"Come in!" _came Yiliaster's voice.

Rudger pushed the door opened and walked in with the intention to get him to help find Hana, and bring her back.

"Why, Rudger, what brings you here?" Yiliaster asked calmly.

Rudger marched to the table and slammed his hands on it, the look in his eyes was inhuman. Yiliaster raised a brow.

"Where's Hana?" Rudger inquired in a threating tone.

"Hana? Oh! You mean Hakase's wife, right?"

"Don't even go there with that! You and the prince work together, right?" Yiliaster raised a brow. Rudger growled in response. He was ready to punch Yiliaster across the face, but refrained from doing it. "Now release her and take me instead!"

"I'm afraid not. Who's going to run the lab? Hakase placed you as the boss, didn't he?" Yiliaster asked in a condescending tone.

Rudger growled again and pulled back, knowing that he wasn't going to get anywhere at the moment. "You'll regret this," he hissed, turning to walk out the door.

To Be Continued ...


	7. Chapter 7

The Beast Within

Chapter 7

By KellyQ

Jack, Crow, and Kiryu sat not too far from Hakase's bed. Yusei sat next to his dad as he laid there, unmoving. The Doctor had managed to get the bullet out and stop the bleeding. Now they were waiting for Hakase to wake up and Rudger to come back with Hanna. Yusei sat there holding his stuffed dragon close with a miserable expression on his face. Jack watched him for a moment, feeling guilty that he stole the only toy that Yusei valued. Jack rose to his feet and made his way over, but he stopped midway when the door opened and Rudger walked in.

The first thing Yusei did was jump off the bed and run up. "Where's my mom?" Rudger lowered his gaze so that no one could see his eyes. Yusei's expression changed to anger after he concluded that Rudger didn't do anything. "You said that you were going to get my mom back!" By now Yusei was hitting Rudger with Stardust. "You promised!"

"Yusei ..." came Hakase's voice. They all looked to see that he was awake. "Come here." Yusei turned, walked up and climbed on the bed as the others made their way over.

Rudger was about to ask Hakase if he was alright when a familiar nurse by the name of Martha walked in.

"That's good that you're okay."

Hakase nodded his head. "Can you take the kids? I need to talk to Rudger alone." Martha nodded her head and led the kids out. After they were out of hearing range, Hakase decided to speak up. "What happened back at the house?"

"I wish I knew myself. But I'll get Hanna back. It was my fault that it happened," Rudger promised.

Hakase looked more alert. "You know where she's at?"

Rudger shook his head. "I have a faint idea who arranged for those men to come to your place ... Yiliaster." Hakase stayed silent as Rudger continued to talk, "I tried to get him to tell me where she's at, but he didn't do anything..."

Hakase sighed out of frustration. "I'll take care of this ..."

"But you're going to need some help!"

"You've got more important things to worry about than worry about what goes on with me," Hakase pointed out.

"You're not doing this by yourself! This is my problem as well, Hakase - and I'll get Hanna back!"

Before Hakase could argue anymore, Rudger walked out. Hakase got out of bed, and tried to follow him. "Rudger, wait!" Hakase got halfway down the hallway, but he stopped and clutched his shoulder which he felt throbbing with pain.

Rudger stopped, turned and made his way back to where Hakase was leaned against the wall. "You shouldn't be moving! Now get back to bed!" Rudger ordered. He took a forceful hold of Hakase's good arm and jerked him away from the wall.

Hakase managed to keep his footing as Rudger dragged him to the room. "Why are you doing this? I told you that it was a good idea to wait until things cooled down!"

They were now standing next to the hospital bed. "I'm not going to change my mind. Now. Get. Back into bed."

Hakase lowered his gaze and quietly climbed back into bed and laid down as he watched Rudger walk out. _What's gotten into him? _Hakase thought, still having his eyes fixed on the closed door. It opened a second later and Yusei walked up and climbed into bed.

"I'm scared," Yusei admitted.

"I'm going to be fine, son," Hakase soothed, holding Yusei close.

* * *

Rex turned when the door to the house opened and Rudger walked in. The first thing Rudger did was kick the wall beside him out of frustration, before he made his way to the computer room.

Rex followed his brother into the room. "What happened?"

"Yiliaster. That's what. He had his men take Hanna away, and they almost killed Hakase. Right now I'm trying to find out where they took Hanna so I can free her, but Hakase doesn't want me to even do that for him!" Rudger explained, trying to keep his anger from getting the better of him.

"Hakase probably doesn't want you to get hurt, and neither do I. Your best bet is not to get any further involved than you already are, like you two agreed on," Rex suggested.

Rudger rubbed his hands over his face out of frustration and sighed. "I can't just sit back and watch!"

"I know it's painful for you, but if you care about Hakase as much as you do ... then you need to respect that."

"Just get out," Rudger hissed softly. "I don't need for you to tell me how to feel."

Rex calmly got up and walked out, closing the door gently behind him. Rudger sighed as he rubbed his hands over his face again. He got up and walked out to find his brother sitting on the couch, reading a book. Rex closed the book and glanced at his brother.

"Look. I'm sorry that I stepped out of line," Rudger apologized. He made his way over and sat next to his brother.

"Don't worry about it. I'm just worried that you two are going to go hurt each other," Rex pointed out. _Even though Hakase is hurting you more because he doesn't understand your feelings toward him. _

Rex felt sorry for both. Rudger was trying hard to restrain himself from spilling out how he felt, and Hakase didn't know what to make of Rudger's behavior toward him sometimes.

To Be Continued ...


End file.
